Change Is In The Stars

No, there wont be any dancing involved and barring some strange twilight zone scenario you probably wont see any telescopes either.  There will be Stars though.

For hardcore Dallas Stars fans this year has been pretty hard to watch, in fact possibly one of the hardest in recent years.  From the get-go this has been a year when the Stars simply were not meant to go super-nova.   It all started right back at the start of the season when Brett Hull announced with a big smile on his face that the team signed Sean Avery to a contract worth twice his value for years double what  you’d think right through and continued til recently when Brad Richards broke his wrist, only to break the OTHER one on his first game back! Losing Captain Brendan Morrow sure didn’t help with the teams grand plans either, nor did Zubov being out for all but 10 games and a multitude of other injuries to players like   Lehtinen, Parrish & Brunnstrom.  In fact at recent count over 300 man hours of games have been lost to injuries this season.

This season’s Dallas Stars remind me of the old nursery rhyme… “Twinkle Twinkle little star, how i wonder what you are”.

Who are you?  Or, to be more accurate, what are you expected to be?

Brad Richards injury had the team turning to Mike Modano to fill his role.  All of a sudden the 38 year old who has spent much of the past 2 seasons on the 3rd line as a checking center was expected to play 22+ minutes on the 2nd line and do so like he was in his prime.  Forgive me, but while Mike is a legend and still one of the best in the game, he’s not the guy he was when the Stars won the cup in ‘99.

The blue line suffered all year long with rookie mistakes, lackluster performances and a vast constellation of turnovers, pun intended.  It’s no wonder either considering you have Stephane Robidas and Nicklas Grossman expected to play #1 Defenseman minutes with the same skill, tenacity and patience that Zubov delivered.

All that aside, mediocre defensive performances and less “punchy” top lines can still win games.  Afterall, the last line of defense is none other than “the wall”, Marty Turco.  Surely after his standout performances in last years playoffs he could help carry this depleted & fatigued to a playoff spot.  Right?  Normally, yes but it would appear at some time between game 1 and game 71 of this season Marty Turco forgot how to stop pucks on a consistent basis.  With no quality back-up goalie to challenge Marty for the net, it appears even Marty forgot who he is.

What a year!  Many Stars fans will be happier when this season ends than they were when Sean Avery got the boot out of big D.

What now?  Clearly this team needs a change.  The Two-Headed Snake of Brett Hull and Les Jackson did not impress fans when they failed to deliver a #1 defenseman at the trade deadline, instead opting to get Brenden Morrison to replace Brad Richards.  An ok move, but not one that really helped this struggling team.

The off season is now the focus for many Stars fans.  What will this team get?  What do they need?  Who will stay or go?  Here are some interesting points to ponder…

Sergei Zubov and Jere Lehtinen’s contracts are both up this year.  Both are top players if they’re not injured.  Is the risk too much to re-sign them?  I believe both are worth keeping hold of if the price is right.  Neither of these guys are able to ask for big contracts due to their ongoing injuries, but the cost of not re-signing them could be too high.

Mike Modano has another year on his contract but many fans believe he’s done and should retire.  I disagree.  Age slows him down, but doesn’t deaden his passion.  The team should not rely on Mike to be the player he was 10 years ago.

Even if Zubov returns, he’s no longer able to be relied on as the #1 defenseman.  Should the Stars make a post season trade to get a Bouwmeester, Kaberle or Redden?
With Brian Sutherby getting a contract extension, does that mean Joel Lundqvist is one the way out?  Maybe we could send him to the Rangers in a deal to bring Redden here.  Brothers unite!

Marty Turco no longer has a NTC i believe after his dismall play this year, so could the team look to ship him out?

If i were to make just one change to the current Dallas Stars system, it would be this.  I would remove Brett Hull from the GM position and put him somewhere else.  While the co-GM situation was great for a while, the Sean Avery incident proved that Brett Hull is not, and possibly never will be a good General Manager of an NHL team.

I leave you with this thought.  If the Dallas Stars had never signed Sean Avery, how do you believe the team would look right now?

The NHL Minute – 30 Nov 08

After a long delay the NHL Minute is back!

News:

• Brian Burke says Sundin unlikely to return to the Leafs
  In an interview with Brian Burke he announced that if Sundin returns to the NHL he believes he will want to go to a cup contender.  “I don’t think we fit the profile he is looking for,” Burke was quoted as saying.
• Sharks go 7 straight
  The San Jose Sharks continued their domination over the league with their 7th straight win today.  Joe Pavelski scored 2 goals in the 3-2 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.
• Crosby gets the home trick
  Sidney Crosby got a standing ovation today as he scored his first home hat trick in a 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils.
• Tkachuk hopes to reach milestone Vs Thrashers
  Keith Tkachuk is on the cusp of another NHL Milestone.  Going into the game against the Thrashers today he sits on 999 points, 1 shy of joining the elite group of 1000+ point players.  Doing so will make him just the 72nd player in history to do so.

Trades & Transactions:

• Luke Richardson (Ottawa) Retired.

Injuries:

• Aaron Ward (D – Boston) left the game today after initiating a hit on Derek Meech and falling to the ice.
• Joe Sakic (C – Colorado) will miss the game Vs the Lightning with further back problems.
• Sergei Zubov (D – Dallas) unlikely to play against the Oilers today.

Rumours & Gossip:

• Changes coming to Dallas?
  There have been a number of rumours coming out of Dallas that the co-GM system could soon become a 1 man job again.  There is no confirmation as yet but it’s believed Brett Hull could be on the way out.

Scores:

• Edmonton 4 – 2 St Louis
• Chicago 2 – 5 Los Angeles
• Buffalo 2 – 3 Montreal
• Philadelphia 2 – 4 Toronto
• Ottawa 2 – 4 NY Islanders
• Detroit 1 – 4 Boston
• Washington 0 – 3 Columbus
• New Jersey 1 – 4 Pittsburgh
• Minnesota 6 – 2 Nashville
• San Jose 3 – 2 Phoenix
• Tampa Bay 3 – 4 Colorado
• Vancouver 1 – 3 Calgary

Source: NHL.com, Yahoo! Sports, TSN

The NHL Minute – 4 Nov

2 mins Player of the day:

• Ryan Miller (G – Sabres).  Miller gets the 2 Minutes Player of the Day after posting his 2nd shutout in as many games.  Miller led the Sabres to a 2-0 win over the New Jersey Devils today, facing 24 shots on goal.

Stars of the day:

• Chris Campoli (D – Islanders) 2G 0A 2Pts
• Ryan Miller (G – Sabres)24 shots, 0GA 1.00% SV%
• Andrew Ladd (LW – Blackhawks) 2G 1A 3Pts
• Patrick Sharp (C – Blackhawks) 2G 1A 3Pts

Stars make more moves:

• The Dallas Stars made more moves today to try and fix their woes.  Stars co-GMs Brett Hull and Les Jackson signed former Minnesota Wild forward Mark Parrish to a 1-year deal worth $500k (NHL) or $100k (AHL).  Parrish, who was bought out by the Wild could bring a scoring touch to a Stars team that has been struggling to find it’s identity.

Senators & Coyotes swap minor leaguers

• The Ottawa Senators traded prospect Alexander Nikulin to the Phoenix Coyotes for defenseman Drew Fata on Monday.  Nikulin, 23, told the Senators last week that he would return to his native Russia if a deal wasn’t completed.  The 6-1, 203-pound center was a fourth-round pick – 122nd overall – by the Senators in the 2004 draft. Nikulin recorded two goals in five games with Binghamton of the American Hockey League this season. In 2007-08, Nikulin had 14 goals and 36 assists in 71 games with Binghamton.

oh, they’re hurt:

• Owen Nolan (Wild): Placed on IR with a lower body injury
• Marian Gaborik (Wild): Still not ready to return.
• Jere Lehtinen (Stars): Questionable for Nov 7 Vs Anaheim
• Sergei Zubov (Stars): IR, expected return Nov 7 Vs Anaheim

He shoots… the scores:

• Buffalo Sabres 2 – 0 New Jersey Devils
• New York Islanders 4 – 3 Columbus Blue Jackets (Overtime)
• Chicago Blackhawks 6 – 2 Colorado Avalanche

Technorati Tags: ice hockey, nhl teams, nhl, nhlpa, hockey results, sports, sporting teams

The NHL Minute – 3 November

2mins Player of the day:

• Devin Setoguchi (RW – Sharks).  Setoguchi had a great game against the Colorado Avalanche today playing 13:57 of ice time, putting 7 shots on goal, netting 2 goals and finishing the game +1. 

Stars of the day:

• Ales Hemsky (RW -  Oilers) 2G 1A 3Pts
• Ilya Kovalchuk (LW – Thrashers) 2G 1A 3Pts
• Jean-Sebastien Giguere (G – Ducks) 36 Shots faced, 34 saves.
• Devin Setoguchi (RW – Sharks) 2G 0A 2Pts

Stars management strikes back:

• After going 4-6-2 in their first 12 games of the season, the Dallas Stars management struck back by sending 3 players back to the minors.  James Neal, Mark Fistric and Chris Conner have all been assigned to the AHL amid rumors there could be much larger changes to come.  Some suggest a coaching change might be in the near future.

Brodeur gets stoned on streak:

• New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur will miss at least one game with an elbow injury, ending a career high streak of 51 regular season starts.

Todd White makes 500:

• Atlanta Thrasher’s Todd White played in his 500th NHL game today; a 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers.

oh, they’re hurt:

• Brad May (Ducks): Knee, out til at least mid-November
• Chuck Kobasew (Bruins): May return Nov 6 Vs Toronto
• Jere Lehtinen (Stars): Questionable for Nov 7 Vs Anaheim
• Doug Janik (Stars): Questionable for Nov 7 Vs Anaheim
• Joel Lundqvist (Stars): IR, out til late November
• Sergei Zubov (Stars): IR, expected return Nov 7 Vs Anaheim
• Bryan Allen (Panthers): IR, out indefinitely
• Rick DiPietro (Islanders): IR, out til at least early December

He shoots… the scores:

• Edmonton Oilers 5 – 4 Philadelphia Flyers
• Atlanta Thrashers 5 – 3 Florida Panthers
• Carolina Hurricanes 6 – 4 Toronto Maple Leafs
• Anaheim Ducks 3 – 2 Calgary Flames
• San Jose Sharks 5 – 3 Colorado Avalanche
• Detroit Red Wings 3 – 2 Vancouver Canucks

Technorati Tags: ice hockey, nhl teams, nhl, nhlpa, hockey results, sports, sporting teams

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The NHL Minute – 30 October

2mins Player of the day:

• Tobias Stephan (G – Stars) earns our player of the day for his win over the Minnesota Wild.  Stephan played in only his 2nd ever NHL game.   His last game, almost a year ago was on the road in Chicago, a game where he played solid but lost the game in overtime.  A year is a long time to wait to prove you can play at this level, but Stephan did that today. 

Stars of the day:

• Teemu Selanne (Ducks), got his game on with a hat trick against the Detroit Red Wings
• Tobias Stephan (Stars) made his NHL debut for 2008 with a 4-2 win over the Wild
• Ryan Getzlaf (Ducks) had 5 assists in the Ducks win over the Red Wings
• Matt Stajan (Maple Leafs) scored 2 goals in the Leafs shootout win over the Devils
• Pavel Datsyuk (Red Wings) scored a pair against the Ducks

…and there were none:

• Going into todays game the Wild had no suffered a regulation loss this season, the only team remaining to do so.  Tobias Stephan and the Stars put and end to that with a solid 4-2 win over the travelling team.

Demoted:

• Jordan Staal has been demoted to the third line during Wednesday’s Penguins practice.

Trade Deadline moved:

• The NHL has announced that the Trade Deadline will be moved back to March 4.  The change has been approved by both the NHL and the NHLPA.

oh, they’re hurt:

• Sergei Zubov (Stars) should be back in the Stars lineup this Saturday.
• Randy Jones (Flyers) could resume skating in 2 weeks and should be back on the team before Christmas.
• Jere Lehtinen (Stars) is rumored to begin skating again soon.
• Tim Connolly (Sabres) is unlikely to play this weekend with a back injury.
• Pascal Leclaire (Blue Jackets) is looking at a second opinion after his MRI revealed just a sprained ankle.
• Bryan McCabe (Panthers) began skating on his own Monday.
• Rick DiPietro (Islanders) will not be on the upcoming road trip.

He shoots… the scores:

• Toronto Maple Leafs 6 – 5 New Jersey Devils (shootout)
• Dallas Stars 4 – 2 Minnesota Wild
• Anaheim Ducks 5 – 4 Detroit Red Wings (overtime)

Technorati Tags: ice hockey, nhl teams, nhl, nhlpa, hockey results, sports, sporting teams

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Around the NHL – Wed 8 Oct

Injury Updates:

• Sergei Zubov placed on IR
  Zubov (hip surgery) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, the National Post reports. (ESPN)

• Islanders place trio on IR
  The New York Islanders on Tuesday placed center Mike Sillinger and defensemen Chris Campoli and Andy Sutton on injured reserve.  Sillinger, 37, underwent microfracture surgery on his right hip during the offseason. Last season, he appeared in 52 games, tallying 14 goals and 12 assists.  Campoli is sidelined with a shoulder injury and Sutton is out after undergoing surgery on his hand. (Yahoo! Sports)
• Lawrence Nycholat to miss start of season
  Nycholat had back problem flare this week and is expected to start the
  season in the injured reserve list, the Vancouver Province reports. (ESPN)

• Alexander Semin limited in practice
  Semin was limited in practice on Tuesday but is expected to play in the
  Capitals’ home opener on Friday, the Associated Press reports. (ESPN)

• Alex Ovechkin left practice
  Ovechkin left Tuesday’s morning practice after just 15 minutes, the Washington Post reports. (ESPN)
• Johan Hedberg: Toe
  Questionable for Oct. 10 vs. Washington (Sportsline)
• Mike Hoffman: Hand
  Out until at least mid-October (Sportsline)
• Bryan Little: Hip
  Questionable for Oct. 10 vs. Washington (Sportsline)
• Marian Hossa: Groin
  Questionable for Oct. 9 vs. Toronto (Sportsline)
• Georges Laraque: Groin
  Questionable for Oct. 10 at Buffalo (Sportsline)

Waiver Wire:

TSN.CA: reports the following players have been placed on waivers:

• Peter Schaefer – Boston Bruins

• Kyle McLaren – San Jose Sharks.
• Aaron Downey – Detroit Red Wings
• Boyd Devereaux and Steffan Kronwall – Toronto Maple Leafs.
• Matt Pettinger and Jason Krog – Vancouver Canucks.
• Gilbert Brule – demoted by Edmonton Oilers
• Aaron Johnson – Chicago Blackhawks

TSN also reports the Blackhawks have demoted goaltender Antti Niemi and Nikolai Khabibulin remains with the team for now. He’s expected to resume practicing with the club later this week although it’s still possible he could be loaned to a Russian team.

Player Updates:

• Ducks name D Scott Niedermayer Captain
  The Anaheim Ducks named defenceman Scott Niedermayer team captain Tuesday, with Chris Pronger and Ryan Getzlaf serving as alternate captains.  Niedermayer, 35, previously served as Ducks captain from 2005-07. (Yahoo! Sports)

• Goalie Nikolai Khabibulin expected to start season with Chicago
  Goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin is expected to start the regular season with the Chicago Blackhawks.  The 35-year-old Khabibulin had seemed destined to be sent to the minors, traded or opt to play in his native Russia by the time the Blackhawks open their regular season Friday night in New York against the Rangers. (Yahoo! Sports)
• Patric Hornqvist: Likely to Skate On Nashville’s Top Line
  Hornqvist has all but officially secured a roster spot with the Predators, and he’s likely to begin the season on the top offensive line along with J.P. Dumont and Jason Arnott, the Nashville Tennessean reports. (Yahoo! Sports)
• Joey MacDonald: Wins Backup Job
  MacDonald has won the job of backup to Rick DiPietro. (Yahoo! Sports)

Signings, Transactions & Acquisitions:

• Ducks clam LW Lidstrom on waivers from Blackhawks
  The Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday claimed left wing Joakim Lindstrom on waivers from Chicago and assigned him to the Iowa Chops, their affiliate in the American Hockey League.Lindstrom, 24, originally was acquired by Anaheim from Columbus for a conditional pick in the 2010 draft on July 15. He appeared in four preseason games with the Ducks, registering one assist before being claimed by Chicago on Friday. (Yahoo! Sports)

• Blackhawks release C Adams
  The Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday released center Kevyn Adams, one of five moves made by the team to reduce the roster to the league-mandated maximum of 23 players heading into the start of the regular season. (Yahoo! Sports)
• Sharks place D McLaren on waivers
  In a move necessitated by salary cap restrictions, the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday placed veteran defenseman Kyle McLaren on waivers, possibly ending his 4 1/2-year tenure with the club.  Waiving McLaren enabled the Sharks to save $2.5 million and get them under the salary cap limit of $56.7 million. (Yahoo! Sports)
• Maple Leafs sign D Schenn
  The Toronto Maple Leafs signed defenseman Luke Schenn to a three-year contract on Tuesday.  Financial terms were not disclosed. (Yahoo! Sports)
• Kings re-sign C O”Sullivan
  Patrick O’Sullivan’s holdout is over.  A restricted free agent, O’Sullivan on Tuesday signed a new three-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings.  Financial terms were not disclosed, but – citing undisclosed sources – TSN of Canada is reporting the 23-year-old center will receive an average of $2.925 million per season. (Yahoo! Sports)
• Flames’ Warrener, Eriksson placed on waivers
  The Calgary Flames placed veteran defensemen Rhett Warrener, Anders Eriksson and forward Jamie Lundmark on waivers Tuesday to get below the salary cap.  The three are headed to the Flames’ AHL affiliate in the Quad Cities unless claimed off waivers by another club or traded.  Warrener and Eriksson have one-way contracts and reassigning the three players puts Calgary’s payroll $2 million below the $56.7-million cap. (Yahoo! Sports)
• Boston Bruins keep promising rookie forward Blake Wheeler, cut five
  The Boston Bruins cut five players from their roster Tuesday and kept promising rookie forward Blake Wheeler, a first-round draft choice in 2004.  The Bruins released forward Peter Schaefer and planned to waive him and assign him to Providence of the AHL.  They also placed forwards Nate Thompson and Jeremy Reich on waivers for the purpose of assigning them to Providence, and assigned defenceman Matt Hunwick to Providence and forward Carl Soderberg to Malmo in Sweden. (Yahoo! Sports)
• Bruins waive LW Schaefer, C Reich
  Boston Bruins fans may have seen the last of Peter Schaefer and Jeremy Reich.  Schaefer and Reich, along with center Nate Thompson, were placed on waivers by the Bruins on Tuesday as the team hopes to assign the trio to Providence of the American Hockey League.  Acquired from Ottawa in July 2007, Schaefer appeared in 63 games for Boston last season, recording nine goals and 17 assists. The 31-year-old left wing added a tally and four points in seven playoff contests. (Yahoo! Sports)
• View more NHL and Minor League transactions at NHL.com

Trades & Rumours:

From nhl-trade-rumors.com (click to view the full report):

• The Red Wings will be without wing Marian Hossa Sunday in the team’s final exhibition game against Buffalo. Hossa developed a sore groin whilst playing Saturday in Toronto and sat out the 3rd period. He mentioned he does not consider the injury serious.

• Ranger GM Glen Sather is a seller in a market that appears to feature very few buyers willing to pay 100 cents on the dollar. Sather has postponed a decision on roster cuts only as he has postponed a decision on Brendan Shanahan, who continued to skate at the club’s practice rink throughout the Rangers’ successful European tour.
• The Lightning spent the past few days thinking about trade options. Scouts were dispatched to hockey rinks across North America throughout the preseason in search of improvements.
• Not long after an NHL owner predicted Sunday that European expansion is “happening”, league commissioner Gary Bettman spoke in non-committal terms on the subject. “It is not on the drawing board”, Bettman mentioned before attending the final of 4 regular season games played in Europe over the weekend.
• If starting lineups were devised simply on merit, James Neal could be on the ice Friday at American Airlines Center when the Dallas Stars open the season against Columbus. The salary cap era, however, creates myriad reasons for keeping a player or sending him to the minors, so the fate of the rookie winger remained uncertain on Monday.

Game Results:

No games held today

Source: Yahoo! Sports | TSN.ca | ESPN | NHL.com

Technorati Tags: nhl, ice hockey, game results, trade rumours, trade rumors, nhl contracts

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Playoff Match Results – 02-May-08

Click below to view the results of the following game played today.

Dallas Stars @ San Jose Sharks (G5)

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Playoff Match Results – 29-Apr-08

Click below to view the results of the following games played today:

Pittsburgh Penguins Vs New York Rangers (G3)
Detroit Red Wings Vs Colorado Avalanche (G3)
Dallas Stars Vs San Jose Sharks (G3)

Full Story →

Playoff Match Results – 27-Apr-08

Click below to view the results of the following games played today:

New York Rangers @ Pittsburgh Penguins
Dallas Stars @ San Jose Sharks

Full Story →

The Defending Champs Curse Strikes The Anaheim Ducks

Not since 2003 has a Stanley Cup champion made it through the first round of the playoffs the following year.  That trend has continued today after a highly underestimated Dallas Stars routed the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 in Dallas, TX.

The victory in todays game 6 not only eliminated the defending Stanley Cup champions from the playoffs, but broke the “first round” curse that has plagued the Dallas Stars for 5 long painful years.

Marty Turco, who has taken the brunt of the criticism over the previous years showed that he is one of the elite netminders in the NHL, finishing the round with a GAA of 2.01, including a shutout in game 1.

Anaheim, who were one of the strongest teams going down the final stretch into the playoffs faltered under the constant Dallas Attack, and struggled to get past the Dallas Defensive group; a group that included 3 rookies and was missing Sergei Zubov and (for most games) Philippe Boucher.

“It’s disappointing because we believe we could do better,” said Anaheim defenseman Scott Niedermayer, the Conn Smythe winner as MVP of last year’s postseason who retired then decided to return to chase another Cup. “Our sights were set higher than this.”
- Yahoo! Sports

Dallas now have a few days to relax before the Western Conference Semi-Finals begin.  The Stars will face either the Colorado Avalanche or the San Jose Sharks in round 2, but wont know who until after game 7 between the Flames and Sharks on Tuesday evening.